Ovarian Cancer

There are no early detection tests for ovarian cancer, and 56 percent of women diagnosed with the disease die within five years. That’s why the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA) spends most of their budget on funding research.

This week we’re spotlighting MOCA, the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance as part of our Trees of Hope campaign. Ovarian cancer occurs in 1 in 71 women. Fifty-six percent of women die within five years. But it’s not a cancer people know much about. The average age for a woman to be diagnosed is 63. But doctors told Kristen Miles she had the disease when she was just 17.

This week WCCO is spotlighting MOCA — the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance — as part of our Trees of Hope campaign. Ovarian cancer occurs in one in 71 women. Fifty-six percent of women die within five years. But it’s not a cancer people know much about. On the Nicollet Mall, Sara Langworthy stands dressed in teal, a superhero headdress, outfit and boots. She’s stopping people and handing out symptom cards.

The average age for a diagnosis of ovarian cancer is 63, so it was a shock when a 7-year-old Minnesota girl found out she had it. We first introduced you to Harlie Corneliusen in September. After chemo and some dark days, she is now free of cancer.

Eleven years ago, an Andover family knew almost nothing about ovarian cancer. Now, the three generations — five grandchildren, three sisters, a mom and a dad — are now some of the strongest advocates for it.

This week, WCCO-TV is featuring the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance in its Trees of Hope campaign. Ovarian cancer can be deadly because there are no early detection tests and by the time it’s diagnosed, it’s often advanced. WCCO-TV’s Kim Johnson’s family has been touched by the disease after her mother was diagnosed in 2007.

Eighty-five percent of women with ovarian cancer pass away within five years, so the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA) works to comfort those diagnosed. It is the fifth-deadliest women’s cancer.

Whether they are breaking a sweat at a fundraiser or all dressed up at a banquet — the color teal always marks an occasion for the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance. And so does a sense of pride. Eleven-year survivor Erica Dahlin and her family help support the annual walk.

Ovarian cancer is not one of the most talked about forms of cancer, but it is one of the most dangerous types. The average age a woman is diagnosed with it is 63. That’s why 7-year-old Harlie Corneliusen’s story is so very rare.

Aimee Jo Ashford was diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier this year, and credits her friends in the show choir for getting her through her battle. So when a wish-granting charity asked the 17-year-old Totino Grace student for her request, her immediate instinct was to give back.